In The Nature of the Stars
by Darkflame's Pyre
Summary: On the intricacies of names, engineering and theories in relation to the pattern of the stars. Written for the Virgil Tracy Week challenge on Tumblr. Day Two - August 15th. 'Stars'. Day One - August 14th 'Skies', a graphic I put together, can be found with this ficlet on my tumblr page 'writerdarkflamespyre'. More to come later this week, or so I hope.


**Hi all, still here, still mostly kicking, it's been a rough year. Small ficlet to show for the moment, I hope you all enjoy it.**

 **As it's Virgil's birthday today, this is a bit of a ramble on the nature of his name and that of his career, etc. I hope a few people get a kick out of this. This was written for the Virgil Tracy Week challenge on Tumblr. Day Two - August 15th. 'Stars'. Day One - August 14th 'Skies', a graphic I put together, can be found with this ficlet on my tumblr page 'writerdarkflamespyre' under the tag #virgiltracyweek. Details of that account are on my profile page.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own** _ **Thunderbirds**_ **, in any incarnation; only the instances within which they occur in my stories. All rights and ownership go to the Gerry Anderson Estate, Carlton International, Granada Ventures, StudioCanal/Working Title/Universal and now, ITV, Pukeko and Weta Workshop. I am only borrowing them and I promise to return them when I'm finished.**

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Virgil "Gus" Grissom was the second American to fly in space. Because of the fact that he was named after him, Virgil Grissom Tracy specifically asked his father to be primary pilot of Thunderbird Two at the reveal of the plans for International Rescue. He is greatly fond of the symbolism involved with this request, due to his shared interest in engineering, and the practical and theoretical aspects of spaceflight that the Mercury astronaut exhibited.

He is proud to have both a traditional and contemporary connection to the ones who share his name, in both personal and professional pursuits. Though he is well known for his level head and his love of solid, grounded occupations, like his brothers and father, he is fascinated with the concept of technology and the continuing human endeavour to search and explore the universe. Virgil has a deep-rooted love of the stars, not only because of the influence of his older brother's hobbies, and his father's and Gus Grissom's careers as astronauts, but also because his own chosen, visible career is closely related to industrial developments and the eternal human fascination of someday reaching them.

He is especially amused at how the influences on his aspiration to be an engineer were dual in nature: a love of the old television series _Star Trek_ , and the character Montgomery Scott, but also how the use of technology was directed to both improving and enabling the human race to reach things more distant and significant, much like the stars themselves. He likes to think that he is somehow contributing to it, in his own, small way with his involvement in his father's organisations, both International Rescue, and Tracy Aeronautic Enterprises and its associates.

Virgil embodies the classical creative tendencies that are harked back to Virgil of the Aeneid in his music and art. For this reason, he is greatly inspired by both Latin and Greek literature, thanks in most part to the gentle encouragement given by his mother when struggling in accepting his name when teased as a child. In direct defiance of this, on his own terms, Virgil studied Latin in order to help with his musical studies and out of a personal interest. Though he never tells anyone, he likes how it resonates with the stories linked with the myths and legends that the ancient civilisations had in regards to and in association with the heavens.

As a bearer of the star sign Leo, with accompanying traits that come of having a birthdate in such close proximity to the succeeding sign, Virgo, Virgil has a large measure of rational, grounded thinking, a proficiency in visual creativity, stubbornness, loyalty, passion and a warm, friendly disposition that endears him to all who have the pleasure of knowing him.


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